US Ambassador Ford absence from Syria only 'temporary'

          

The American Embassy in Syria says U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford has been "temporarily" called back to Washington due to security concerns in the country. Reuters reported that the ambassador's return is dependent on the security situation on the ground. Reuters quoted State Department Spokesman Mark Toner as saying they hope the "Syrian regime will end its incitement campaign" against Ambassador Ford.         
          
Mahoney emphasized Monday that Washington had not formally recalled Ford.          

Ford's trip comes at a time of great turmoil in Syria, which has seen months of mass anti-government protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar Assad.      

Last month, Ford and several colleagues from the embassy were pelted with tomatoes and eggs as they visited an opposition figure. U.S. officials said the assault was part of a campaign to intimidate diplomats investigating Assad's repression of pro-reform demonstrators.   

Preliminary Reuters reports based on Western diplomatic sources stated that the United States pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns that have arisen during a seven-month-old popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

-Reuters/AFP/LBCI